By way of Dog Sled (USPS)

[steven c newman]

in a shoe box...249414249415249416249417 looks like I have a little work to do, today....:D

[steven c newman]

Well, after further review.... There are patent dates on this thing! STANLEY is stamped onto the lateral lever, as well as a pat. dates? 1.1781/7.24.88/8.3.97? (ring a bell?) The adjuster for the throat also has some patent #FEB 20 94. Iron has the "V" logo. Right in front of the depth adjuster wheel, there is another Pat. date that LOOKS like 8/3/97 or 87? So much paint back there to tell. Every casting has the letter "B" on it, as well. I take it that this is a Stanley #????

By the way, spent about an hour with a wire brush..249441249442249443249444Not too bad. Still have to sharpen that iron, though...

[Adam Cruea]

Check here since I'm sure there are some details I can't see, but it looks like a Stanley 18.

http://www.supertool.com/StanleyBG/stan3.htm might be able to tell you more about those dates and stuff.

[Jim Koepke]

The patent dates are all familiar to collectors of early examples of these planes.

What is the length of the plane?

jtk

[steven c newman]

Length is 6-1/4" Width is 1-7/8" Patrick must round his numbers a bit?

[Mark Dorman]

[QUOTE=steven c Patrick must round his numbers a bit?[/QUOTE]
It's a Stanley thing. Different castings for the same size will very in length. I have a 3 and a 4 that should be an inch different and they are at the most 1/2" different.

[Scott M Perry]

It looks like my 18-1/2 (nicer than mine), but for the life of me I can't remember what distinguishes it as a 1/2...

[Jim Koepke]

Length is 6-1/4" Width is 1-7/8" Patrick must round his numbers a bit?

The width on his site refers to the blade's width.

Looks like a #18 that came my way only to be sold later.

jtk

[Jim Koepke]

It looks like my 18-1/2 (nicer than mine), but for the life of me I can't remember what distinguishes it as a 1/2...

Blood & Gore doesn't list an 18-1/2. There is an 18-1/4 that doesn't have the adjustable mouth.

jtk

[Scott M Perry]

Hmm. Wonder where the 1/2 in my mind came from? Ah, well, getting old before my time.

So, it looks like my #18, but nicer. FWIW, I use that 18 all the time. A really great plane.
Blood & Gore doesn't list an 18-1/2. There is an 18-1/4 that doesn't have the adjustable mouth.

jtk

[Adam Cruea]

Whatever it is, it looks like a useful little LA block plane. I might need to snag one of those at some point (or just suck it up and pay for a LN 60 1/2).

[Jim Koepke]

Whatever it is, it looks like a useful little LA block plane. I might need to snag one of those at some point (or just suck it up and pay for a LN 60 1/2).

Hate to burst any bubbles, but my recollection is the 18 is a standard angle as are all of the Stanley block planes with the post style adjustment.

jtk

[steven c newman]

I have three planes sitting here beside me, at the computer. A Stanley 9-1/2, a Stanley #18 ( just cleaned the dog doo-doo off) and a Craftsman/ Sargent 306. All have an adjustable throat. All have a wheel in the back for depth adjustment. The two stanleys have a bent over lever for lateral adjust, the Sargent has a curly-cue at the end. That is where any similarity ends. Well, they all ahve the same angle for bedding the iron. The stanleys have a weird lever to adjust the throat, the Sargent has something different, The 9-1/2 and the 306 have almost the same cap irons, almost. But they will not interchange.

If i get around to it, i will get a "family portrait' of these three tomorrow, before I box up the 9-1/2 for shipment. keeping the 306, and the 18.

[Greg Wease]

John Walter's book has a Type Study for the Stanley "9 1/2 family" of block planes. The #18 is a member of this family, the primary difference being the knuckle joint lever cap. The markings you describe date your plane, as far as I can tell, to 1901-1904. These are good little planes and very comfortable on the hand.

[Jim Koepke]

If i get around to it, i will get a "family portrait' of these three tomorrow, before I box up the 9-1/2 for shipment. keeping the 306, and the 18.

Interesting, at one time my stable of block planes included a 9-1/2 and an 18. Never really found a need for either so they were both sold. A 65 & 65-1/2 both do great jobs of being wide block planes. For the standard angle work, a bench plane fill the bill.

jtk

[Adam Cruea]

Hate to burst any bubbles, but my recollection is the 18 is a standard angle as are all of the Stanley block planes with the post style adjustment.

jtk

Ack! So it is. My bubble is completely destroyed, Mr. Jim. lol

Okay, fine Mr. Smarty-Pants. . .it looks like a possibly good little plane for hand-sized work. :D lol

[steven c newman]

Went to sharpen that iron today..... WOW! UGLY Bowed in the middle, one side took forever to get down to match the rest of the edge. Lost abot 1/16' in length! Edge was flat in that plane from the edge back to the blade. Big old curve going on. Kind of a reverse hollow grind? Got that flatten out. Got the edge squared across. Got after the edge with my sandpapers, and the oil stones. Five grits of stones, the last was a "purple" Arky-saw stone. Iron will now shave my beard, thank you. Still cleaning the body on this little plane...

[steven c newman]

Tried to use this new little plane last night, with the new, sharp iron. This plane is really hard to set up, and KEEP set up. Hit a tough spot in the wood, iron backs right off. Hard to get things "tight" on this plane. Don't want to "crank' things super tight and crack something, but, it do seem a might loose in there. Any suggestions??

[bridger berdel]

is the adjuster not engaging? I can't see in your photos how it fits up to the blade, a series of slots in the bottom of the blade engage a tab at the top of the depth adjuster, right? is that tab badly worn or broken off?


Tried to use this new little plane last night, with the new, sharp iron. This plane is really hard to set up, and KEEP set up. Hit a tough spot in the wood, iron backs right off. Hard to get things "tight" on this plane. Don't want to "crank' things super tight and crack something, but, it do seem a might loose in there. Any suggestions??

[steven c newman]

The tabs are fine. I just sat there a moment ago, and rattled the workings side to side, with the cap snapped in place. Is it normal to snap the cap in place, then tighten the bolt down even farther? If I get it tight enough to not rattle, i can not unsnap the cap. Or, if i leave the bolt down that far, cap will not engage it.

[steven c newman]

There seems to be another trick to this plane? The post for the depth adjuster wheel will hit the bottom of the lateral adj. lever???? Too long a post? Not screwed down all the way? Whole assembly, when locked down, will rattle side to side, unless the cap iron bolt is cranked down hard. That would cause a crack to form elsewhere in the base. Lateral lever seems to be the ket to getting things settled in on this #18 with a replacement iron. Plane is a "type II", iron is a "V" logo, about 25 years newer?

One mystery, after another......